The tweet quickly was deleted, and Manziel replaced it with a “walk in my shoes” message aimed at making the point that it’s hard for a guy in his early 20s to be the focal point of so much local attention.

We now know what prompted Manziel’s initial tweet. Reportedly. According to Brent Zwerneman of the San Antonio Express-News, Manziel was miffed over a parking ticket he received.

Specifically, he was fishing on the Texas coast and learned that an officer had written him a ticket for parking his Mercedes (Mercedes?) the wrong way on the street back in College Station, and for having the windows tinted too dark.

The explanation comes at the same time S.C. Gwynne of Texas Monthly has chronicled the events that nearly resulted in Manziel leaving College Station last year, following a suspension imposed after Manziel was arrested for fighting, failing to properly identify himself, and carrying a false driver’s license. The school initially was going to suspend him for the 2012 season (which would have resulted in a transfer), but then decided in the middle of August to put him on probation instead.

Apart from whether Manziel’s game translates to the NFL (a question that Mike Freeman of CBSSports.com recently explored), coaches and General Managers at the next level will have to ask themselves whether Manziel has the temperament to deal with the pressure, stress, and scrutiny of being an NFL quarterback.

On one hand, he’s a kid. On the other, there are now a couple of tangible reasons to wonder whether he’ll be able to handle the adversity that comes from being in the center of the biggest stage in American sports.

His temper and lack of maturity will not translate well to the NFL. He has that blame everybody else mentality that haunts many “entitled” athletes. That is not a quality ANY team wants from their QB. That said, there is always some team that thinks they have the right personnel to change the stripes of players with big talent but little character. Those teams are usually wrong.

This is pretty tame compared to just people that I knew in college. Parking tickets, fights, fake IDs…standard protocol.

ialwayswantedtobeabanker says:Jun 20, 2013 9:45 AM

Check out the poise and maturity of RG3, Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson. They’re not quite as young as Manziel – but they were classy when they were his age.

Manziel is freaking out over a parking ticket? Does he think the law doesn’t apply to him too? Does he do the “Do you know who I am?” crap.

Prior to the ’98 Draft, I recall the San Diego Chargers invested something like $2,000,000 to have Ryan Leaf psychologically tested – and the expert’s conclusion was clear and unequivocal: he said Leaf is not wired to play Quarterback in the NFL and he will not succeed because of it. The Chargers ignored the advice they payed so much $ and drafted Leaf with the 1.02 that. And sure enough, Leaf flamed out horribly both on and off the field.

Manziel has already hoisted more red flags than a Russian military parade before the Kremlin. As an NFL GM, I would stay away from this clown.

And a 20 year old driving a Mercedes and flashing picks with fat spreads of cash — it’s a bad look. I’ll take RG3, Luck or Wilson any day over him.

I wonder what is going to be more difficult, being such a huge star in college and dealing with all the attention or being a huge flop in the NFL and dealing with all the attention going away.

getyourownname says:Jun 20, 2013 9:50 AM

Yet another talented player with maturity issues who apparently thinks football status entitles him to special treatment.

Leaving college over a parking ticket? As if we could all pout like that and be released from liability when we get a ticket in the real world. If this report is true, he’s not a kid, he’s a child at age (almost) 21. How many of us have parents who would have tolerated such an attitude at that age?

I used to think he was fun to watch, but now, he seems like a spoiled brat. Maybe he will show us differently.

Already getting tired of this guy. Good luck in the CFL, Johnny (Canadian) Football!

lightcleric says:Jun 20, 2013 9:53 AM

Instead of walking in your shoes can I just drive your Mercedes?

abninf says:Jun 20, 2013 9:53 AM

Okay Johnny, you need to slow it down there, turbo. If you’re going to lead the Dallas Cowboys to multiple championships as I know you will, then you need to understand Mr. Jones and Coach Garrett holds their players to a high moral standard.

Success went to his head. Now another “Do you know who I am?” feeling entitled brat!
You break the law you get cited, end of story, DEAL WITH IT! What’s going to happen to him if he turns out to be a flash in the pan, one year wonder. And tanks this season. A good trivia question in a few years. What was the name of the only freshman to win the Heisman trophy in 2012? Um? I don’t know!

patriots420 says:Jun 20, 2013 10:06 AM

He is starting to come off as a egotistical tool. I have indeed walked a mile in your shoes, instead I got over my parking in a fire lane ticket within a few seconds, paid my $25 fine the next week, and went about my life. No tweets about how my life is so difficult etc…

How is he getting money to pay for a Mercedes, trip to a padres game, VIP parties in Vegas? Mommy and daddy can only have so much money laying around.

I don’t know of a place in the country where you don’t get a ticket for parking the wrong way. It’s a safety issue (It’s not possible to pull out safely when you can’t see what’s coming down the street)

Seems to me, like he is angry because “I’m Johnny Football, how dare you ticket me?”

nflgreedleague says:Jun 20, 2013 10:23 AM

Ryan Leaf part deux

CKL says:Jun 20, 2013 10:26 AM

I don’t follow college football, but this kid sounds like a jerk here. Jason Taylor as usual put it very well on NFL Live the other day when he said that the kid is a Heisman winner, has a gorgeous girl, etc. etc. and that there are a lot of people who would love to “walk in his shoes” as he put it. So basically, the kid should shut it.

And it sounds even worse now that he was revealed to have been whining about being treated like a regular person and ticketed for legit reasons while having a Mercedes at his age. I lived in TX and had the darkest tint allowed which is illegal where I live now so if it was too dark for TX, that thing was blacked out.

my first response was the same as many here – what a spoiled tool. but the I thought back to when I was 19 or 20, and how much of a tool I would have been had I been a Heisman winner as a frosh.

and you can’t compare him to Luck or Wilson – the student body at Stanford doesn’t give 2 craps about FB, nor the local community. I live in P12 country, believe me they put internet geeks way above FB players on the aspiration scale. nor can you compare him to wilson – wilson went to NC State and Wisc – no where near the fevor for FB as the SEC adn A&M.

the reason johnny is turning into a basket case is the fervor of the fans (and sure he is a bit immature)…those rapid SEC and FB fans in Texas who worship the cleats he walks in are partially to blame. the SEC loves to tell everyone how they care more and are the best fans in CFB, well this is partially your fault. try a little perspective and try to round out your hobbies and your life.

and I am sure the all thumbs down will pile up, rapid fan guy hates it when you hold a mirror up to his face…

Nice sense of entitlement, brat. And how does a college student afford a Mercedes?

tabcdef9 says:Jun 20, 2013 11:14 AM

As said above:

Prior to the ’98 Draft, I recall the San Diego Chargers invested something like $2,000,000 to have Ryan Leaf psychologically tested – and the expert’s conclusion was clear and unequivocal: he said Leaf is not wired to play Quarterback in the NFL and he will not succeed because of it.

Can this racial BS stop? The kid is a baby & everyone here has admitted that. He’s an entitled little brat, no one is disputing what he is.

This “waaaah, if he was black, green, red, blue…” has to stop, to make a statement referencing that is RACISM. Manziel is a child that probably will not make it in the NFL due to his attitude.

Please tell us how many white QB’s spend 18 months in a federal prison & get a job less than 2 weeks back into society. Stop the unnecessary crying about race, its all BS!! And shame on PFT deleting posts that are a lot less offensive & for allowing race bating BS like above.

A lot of people wondered about Gino Smith’s temper and maturity. Gino seems lightyears ahead of Maniel in those platforms. Hopefully he gets his act in place and can let things blow off of his shoulders. He’s still very young. He could be great.

If I’m Owner/GM/Coach in the NFL and know that our team may be in the running for this kid’s services, I have a PI hired right now tailing him so I get a really good idea of what I may be getting if I draft him. Too much vested nowadays in drafting QB to not start getting a good profile, especially with all the little red flags going up around this kid.

What’s he worried about? The same guy that paid for his Mercedes will spring for the ticket too.

I just wonder how curious the NCAA will be to look into where he got this mighty fine piece of machinery??!!!

For those who think the story is racially biased… quit turning over every stone and get a life. Plus RGIII would have had way more class in handling it, so it never would have made the news. I thought it painted JM as the over-hyped punk he is. A flash in the pan.

Art Schleester had 73 parking tickets while at OSU that he just ignored. Where is Art today?

mackcarrington says:Jun 20, 2013 4:17 PM

Can’t wait till this brat gets out in the real grown-up world. The MEN in the NFL locker room will be watching this guy closely. He’s already exhibiting sings of spoiled entitlement. He probably thinks that he’ll just be handed a starting QB job in the league.

larrydavid7000 says:Jun 20, 2013 4:30 PM

This kid is going to be a huge problem!!!! Tell princess jonnie to wise up Thank GOD. My team has a mature person and QB RGIII.

Ryan Leaf – Part 2. Johnny Princess. How dare we expect him to live by he same rules as we mere peasants!

irishnativeson says:Jun 20, 2013 6:30 PM

The irony is lost on themonkeyman. pigskin28 made a simple observation about how they perceive the wunderkind being treated in the media and suggests there may be a difference between that and how a Black man would be treated. Simply labeling the contention “BS” is out of hand. First of all my guess would be, any racial bigotry you’ve ever personally experienced was while All in the Family was still being broadcast live. With the dim light of those tragic memories yet burning, anytime someone has the unmitigated gall to infer that racial bigotry still exists, it triggers a mechanism in you to respond exactly like you did. With the self righteous indignation only those with a profound sense entitlement can afford. God bless you if all you know of racial inequality is that some people choose to point it out when they see it and that pisses you off. It’s a hell of a fall from that soap box brother.

notoriousjebus says:Jun 20, 2013 7:25 PM

This guy has maturity issues? You do realize that he is 20 years old, right? He can’t go into a liquor store and buy a 6 pack, he can’t even rent a car. By definition he can’t be mature, because he’s not yet matured.

I work on Wall Street and every week see 30-40 year old, rich men, drink excessively, do drugs, get in fights and in general act like wild devils. I also see carpenters, plumbers, electricians, waiters, police men and fire men get out of control. The pervasive view on this website, that NFL players are the only people who let it all hang out, and should be judged so harshly for it is totally laughable and utterly small minded.